twitter.com/MandyBu:
So this happened.
Of course, it happened the night right before Ottawa Comic Con because why not, that’s why. But even if I wasn’t already long sold on America Chavez’s kickpunching alt urban attitude and a personal lifelong motto to also PUNCH EVERYONE, my well-documented elemental weakness to a hoodie+jacket combo clotheslined me right into it.
Miss America Cosplay: Lin
Photographer: S.—-
whitehotroom.com is good for the damages
Mmm. Oh look, it’s my über gorgeous friend as Miss America.
my fabulous dance central cosplay group. <3 i love you all! :DD
No. That is blackface and it is NOT okay. It’s inappropriate and it’s offensive and it’s wrong.
Yes bless you for saying this. There is no excuse for this.
Now I really don’t see how you believe that colouring their skin is offensive. In no way are we ridiculing anyone who is black, nor are inappropriate stereotypes being played on, because this isn’t blackfacing in the first place. Wouldn’t it be more insulting if they didn’t blackface, and practically insult the character’s designs? Wouldn’t it be offensive if they decided “I won’t colour my skin because I don’t want to be black, even though that is who the character is”?
Shouldn’t in this case, if you believe that colouring your own skin a different colour is offensive, dark skinned people not be allowed to cosplay a character outside of their race? Wouldn’t it also mean that light skinned people cannot tan, or dark skinned people cannot try to lighten their skin because that’s not “their colour”? In most cosplays, westerners are cosplaying as Asian characters (Mostly Japanese if we stick true to animes in Japanese settings), so why are there no complaints about westerner cosplaying Asians? Why isn’t it offensive in that case?
Colouring your skin to make yourself appear dark skinned would only be offensive if the people who did it walked around and milked out horrible stereotypes and spouted the word nigger every chance they get with the excuse of “Oh I’m cosplaying a black character which means I’m allowed to do it”, which most certainly never happened the whole time with us.
What’s inappropriate about staying true to a character by means of clothes, attitude, race, and personality? Almost no one freaked out when Robert Downey Jr. blackfaced for a movie, and some didn’t even notice!
I would like to honestly hear your opinions on exactly why you believe this is offensive. Whether you decide to message me or respond directly on this post is up to you, and even outside opinions would be accepted.No. That’s not how this works.
It is perfectly acceptable to costume out side of your race. When it becomes offensive is when you change your skin colour to something else. By doing so, you are saying that someone’s skin colour is just a part of their costume. Newsflash: people can’t change their skin colour like they change a shirt. Race is a part of who people are. It is not a costume. You know how Native Americans dislike it when people mock their culture by wearing traditional headdresses as a costume? This would be a similar situation.
It is NOT offensive for a white woman to do a costume as a black woman without altering her skin colour. THAT is more respectful. Anyone is free to costume as whatever character they like. No one is stopping you. What we ARE stopping you from is painting yourself to look like a person of colour. If you want to paint yourself green to be a Skrull or blue to be Doctor Manhattan, be my guest. Blackfacing? No. No no no no no.
I don’t care what situation you’re talking about. Black face is not acceptable and it is derogatory. It is a practice rooted in creating a mocking stereotype
Also? As for milking stereotypes? The “I AM A STRONG INDEPENDENT BLACK WOMAN” title on one of the pictures from where they were posted on dA fits that. Yeah.
tl;dr- Blackfacing is an offensive practice that is rooted in mockery and is not acceptable in cosplay for any reason.
From what I’ve read, it seems you don’t understand what blackfacing or even brownfacing really is.
This is blackfacing. There’s an emphasis on absolute dark skin and big puffy lips. This sort of make-up is meant to offend. We did not do this make-up.
This is Ashton Kutcher brown facing for a movie. He has darkened skin, a fake nose that is large and emphasized, and I believe he even has a gold tooth. This make-up is also meant to offend. We did not do this sort of make-up.
“IchigoKitty as Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. IchigoKitty is a very pale girl. On her website it says that she painted her skin. It is CLEAR she is not attempting to degrade anyone with this costume. She just wanted to make her costume accurate to the character. There is no prosthetic nose, or bad teeth or degrading composition of the image. This is different from brownface. Are you still allowed to feel offended that she painted her skin? Of course you are. Are you allowed to feel no offense to the costume? Yes, of course.”
Now that the difference between blackface/brownface and colouring your skin to portray a character has been clarified, I’d like to point out some things in your argument.
”It is perfectly acceptable to costume out side of your race. When it becomes offensive is when you change your skin colour to something else. By doing so, you are saying that someone’s skin colour is just a part of their costume.”Now you’re partially correct in my opinion. Someone’s race shouldn’t be treated like an accessory, and anyone is correct to be offended by that. But in our point of view, we weren’t being offensive and taking that state of mind. There’s a certain amount of respect given towards the character if a cosplayer goes the extra mile to make sure their skin tone matches the character their cosplaying— That’s just dedication to the character they’re portraying.
”Newsflash: people can’t change their skin colour like they change a shirt.”
Actually, there’s this innovative process called spray tanning, and regular tanning. It does change your skin colour.
”What we ARE stopping you from is painting yourself to look like a person of colour.”I’d rather you didn’t make such an effort to stop someone from using their right to freely express themselves— In this case through make-up and cosplay.
”I don’t care what situation you’re talking about. Black face is not acceptable and it is derogatory. It is a practice rooted in creating a mocking stereotype.”
Which is why I believe that we should drop the prejudice of painting your skin to appear as a different race as something that is derogatory or mocking, and create a new image of this sort of make-up. I do care about the situation as everything isn’t strictly black and white, and there should be different attitudes placed for different situations.
”Also? As for milking stereotypes? The “I AM A STRONG INDEPENDENT BLACK WOMAN” title on one of the pictures from where they were posted on dA fits that.”
You must be new to the internet. I’d like to direct your attention to the use of internet memes and how they’re only offensive if you believe they are. But as I’ve stated before, it’s perfectly acceptable to be offended.
“Why I wanted to show the difference is because accusing someone of brownfacing is a very serious thing. Mislabeling what someone is doing as brownface/blackface is just as offensive as the painting/darkening of their skin is for others. Please use the words with extreme caution as they should not be lightly thrown around.”
“What I urge you, even beg you, to do is to be extremely careful when using the terms brownface and blackface. Calling a cosplayer racist and saying they’re in brownface is incorrect. Being offended because they painted their skin and it REMINDS you of brownface, or hits too close to brownface is more accurate. Why does accuracy matter? Because pointing fingers and saying they are in brownface is just as insulting and offending to the cosplayer as their painted skin is to you. We are all people and we think differently from one another. You have a right to be offended just as I have a right not to be offended by it.”
(Sources: http://koristarfire.tumblr.com/post/29859312287/cosplayers-vs-blackface-and-brownface )…you ignorant twit. I’m sorry. I’ve tried to be polite with you. I HAVE FUCKING TRIED.
HOW FUCKING DARE YOU TRY AND TELL PEOPLE OF COLOUR THAT WE SHOULDN’T BE OFFENDED BY THIS BLACK FACING. HOW FUCKING DARE YOU.
Multiple POCs have told you in this thread that it’s not okay and you are ignoring them. This is such unacceptable behaviour. That Jasmine costume? Pretty darn questionable for painting her entire body. STILL KINDA BETTER THAN WHAT YOUR FRIENDS DID. That black facing is a mockery of others people’s race. Your point of view about whether or not you are being offensive here DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER BECAUSE YOU ARE FUCKING WRONG.
This shit has consequences in the real world, by the way. AS OFFENSIVE AND UNACCEPTABLE THINGS DO.
I’m fucking done trying to educate your ignorant asses. Grow the fuck up.
In the words of my friend, Socies, “Someone please stop this(these) white girl(s).”
1) You’re plain, old wrong.
2) You’re offending people.
3) You’re offending my best friend.
So, you’re on blast. Reblog, folks. Pass it around. If you’re gonna be ignorant in public, lemme help with that.
New rule: if your first post on Vine is six seconds of your fucking cat then I get to murder you in the face with tools and Vine it
canadians
I love these guys
The day they tried to ban these guys from attending NHL games was the biggest outrage in hockey history. They are amazing.
(Source: altair1371, via jeremy-ruiner)
If you lose your way tonight
That’s how you know the magic’s right
I’m finishing packing and like, I don’t think there’s room for me in my car.
Like at all.
Also, I’m never buying another t-shirt again.
Or leggings.
Or accessories.
Or comic book.
Or blu-ray.
Or anything.
Clark Gregg and Ming-Na Wen at the Disney Media Networks International Upfronts (05/19)
cAn’T
(via orb01)
Green Lantern gloves, by Karl Lagerfeld
[Colette x DC Comics’ 75th Anniversary Collection]These rhinestone-adorned fingerless gloves are a loose, high-end interpretation of Green Lantern’s power ring. This look could easily be replicated with a little DIY with some rhinestones and a pair of pleather wrist-length gloves.
